


Nothing Is The Same (But You Are Home)

by thebittermountain



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Chinese-Italian Padme, Disabled Padme, F/F, F/M, Gen, He was adopted by Japanese-American parents, Japanese-Raised Obi-Wan, M/M, Professor Obi-Wan, Swedish-American Anakin, Trans Anakin Skywalker, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-10-17 08:58:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17557319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebittermountain/pseuds/thebittermountain
Summary: Professor Ben Abe returns home to Houston after twenty-one years, and gains a grown son and a baby granddaughter all in one. Professor Sonja Skyvandringsman didn't think the man she had an affair with twenty-one years ago would ever return to Texas. Anakin Skyvandringsman never expected to know his father, but he had no idea the man didn't even know about him. Little Ahsoka Skyvandringsman-Koen is just happy to have another adult who dotes on her. Senator Bao-Mei Fabbri didn't expect to go on a date with the boy she used to babysit before high school--who is no longer a boy, and already has a daughter.





	Nothing Is The Same (But You Are Home)

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Star Wars fic. Please don't be too harsh. Of course, if there's anything anyone has questions about, I'm happy to answer. Also, as a warning, I am not Texan and I am white. If there's anything really offensive that I write, or I make a mistake, please let me know. 
> 
> Oh, also, this is a multi-chaptered fic, and it will move a bit slowly (as in Padme/Anakin won't happen for quite a few chapters. Sorry)

Ben Abe got off the plane in George Bush Intercontinental Airport with considerable relief. The small bags of peanuts and pretzels he’d received on this flight had long ago been eaten, and the meal on his previous flight consumed even longer ago. He adjusted his carry-on backpack before switching his phone off airplane mode as he walked to the baggage claim.

There was a message from his best friend, Siri Tachibana from several hours ago asking if he had free time this summer before his new job at Ellen Ochoa High School started, as she was in town visiting her parents, taking some downtime from her job with Doctors Without Borders. Ben smiled, texting back a yes. Siri was always a lot of fun to hang out with, and it had been too long since he’d seen her. He was pulling his suitcases, heading toward the exit, when his phone rang. He pulled over to the side, and looked at the caller ID. It was his mother. He hit the answer button, holding the phone to his ear.

“Moshi moshi?”

“Benjamin! I thought you were back. Your father and I will pick you up. Which exit?” Ben sighed quietly, the sound full of amused resignation.

“Okaasan…I was thinking I would get an Uber.” His mother scoffed, a clear indication she was at home.

“Nonsense! It’s a Saturday, both Tōsan and I are off work. We will take you out for lunch.” Ben’s lips twitched.

“Hai, Okaasan. Arigato. I will see you in a bit then, at the South exit.”

“About an hour if we factor in traffic,” she said before hanging up. Ben slipped his phone in his pocket before heading in the direction of the South exit, smiling slightly. He’d enjoyed his trip to Finland to study Eastern European Folklore further, but he’d missed his parents and his friends here, although he did hope to maintain the friendships made in Helsinki. It was just that after graduating from Prairie View and going on to undergrad at Ohio State he hadn’t seen any of them much, especially since first getting a job teaching European Folklore at University of Denver for a few years, and then going on a paid sabbatical to Finland after that. Ben blinked in surprise as he realized he hadn’t seen his parents face to face more than ten times over the last 20 years. No wonder his mother wanted to take him out for lunch. The almost forty-year-old professor rubbed a hand across his face and ducked into an airplane coffee shop in order to force down a glass, so he could actually stay awake and somewhat coherent. Still grimacing at the taste—he hated coffee—he threw the paper cup in a recycling bin as he walked toward the exit.

He only had to wait twenty minutes before his mother’s familiar dark purple convertible pulled up. She popped the trunk, and he hefted his suitcase and bag in it before getting in the back seat.

“Hello Otōsan,” Ben said, gently tapping his father on the shoulder. Kaito Abe jolted awake from his light doze before realizing who had woken him. He straightened and turned around to say,

“Hello Ben, was your flight alright?” Ben smiled.

“Hai, Otōsan, there were no delays.” His father had a twinkle in his eye and said wryly,

“But you’re glad to be home, presumably.”

“I should hope so,” his mother said archly as she merged onto the highway. Ben laughed.

“So, where are we going Okaasan?” Hotaru Abe hummed, tapping her hands on the steering wheel as she drove.

“Comfort food, I think. I hope you remember how to use chopsticks,” she teased. Ben rolled his eyes.

“Of course, I do, Okaasan.”

“Good.” The rest of the ride passed in a peaceful, familiar silence among the small family. It wasn’t until after they had placed their orders with the waiter that conversation started up again.

“I still fail to understand why you decided to work at that high school instead of teaching at Prairie View,” his mother said after taking a sip of her tea. Ben shared a glance with his father and took a sip from his own cup before answering.

“Okaasan…I like kids. Besides, to be honest, I need a break from academia.” Hotaru gave him an imperious look. It didn’t matter how old he got, his mother could still make him squirm in his seat.

“I know your reluctance has nothing to do with my teaching at Prairie View. We have completely different fields of study.” She fiddled with her tableware, setting it just so without ever dropping her gaze. Ben gulped but didn’t dare to not meet her dark brown eyes. “Besides, there was that one teacher…Professor Skyvandringsman, I believe, who got you interested in folklore, yes? Wouldn’t you like to catch up with her?”

Ben coughed and started practically chugging his tea. The only reason he wasn’t quite doing that was because he knew his mother would call it crass, particularly if he choked. Her gaze almost burned, she was staring so hard, and Ben could feel his face growing red as he heard his father chuckling quietly. He refused to look up again, focusing intently on his tea.

“Ah.” His mother said finally, but luckily their food arrived at that point, so she didn’t say anything else. Ben was picking up the last eel sushi when she said, her voice dangerously sharp, “Why did you not tell us?”

Only quick reflexes kept Ben from dropping his food. He resisted the urge to shrug.

“It only lasted a summer, Okaasan. Neither of us had marriage in mind. It ended well enough, but I’d rather not chance any awkwardness until I’m more settled.”

His mother made a skeptical noise, but merely waved the waiter over to order mochi. Green tea for her, strawberry for him, and coffee for his father. Still, there was a slightly tense air throughout the rest of the meal, though Ben wasn’t sure if his mother was actually angry at him or just annoyed.

“Are you going to stay with us?” she asked finally, as they waited for the check—which she had managed to grab before him. Ben fidgeted with his empty tea cup. “If you don’t mind. But I am going to look for my own place.” Before she could protest, he said quickly,

“I promise I’ll visit lots, Okaasan.”

“Very well, Benjamin.”


End file.
